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Women's Soccer Brings High-Scoring Ways Into SCC Opening Win

The Pasadena City College women's soccer team continued a pattern of lighting up the Robinson Stadium scoreboard, scoring four goals in the second half to rout El Camino College (Torrance), 5-1, in the South Coast Conference opener for both teams played Tuesday.

The Lancers (5-2-1 overall) have terrorized visiting teams, especially in their last four matches. PCC is undefeated at home (5-0-1), and scored 22 goals in its last four home matches. The five netted against El Camino marks a new scoring high in 29 SCC matches under third-year head coach Randy Lilavois. The last time a Lancers team scored five in a conference match was back in 2009 v. El Camino College-Compton Center.

In the ninth minute, PCC jumped out in front when Cassandra Orozco headed in a side corner throw-in by Hallie White. The Lancers, limited to only 12 shots, didn't get going again until the ninth minute of the second half. Nancy Nunez sent a perfectly placed corner kick that Cassandra Saavedra headed in for a 2-0 lead. That would spark a run of four straight Lancers' scores in a span of 22 minutes.

In the 64th minute, Nunez was tripped up in the goalie box and was rewarded by blasting in her team-leading eight goal on a penalty kick. Nine minutes later, Saavedra duplicated her last effort with her second goal on a header off another corner kick by Vanessa Capra. Capra closed out the team's scoring in the 76th minute when she somehow redirected with her right foot a laser, airborne pass by Lizbeth Rodriguez for her sixth goal.

"We've played complete games in the past two matches," Lilavois said. "Four of our goals were beautiful passes and perfectly finished. The team knows its playing well, but it was gratifying to not have a letdown in the first conference match. It's going to be a lot tougher as we face some of the state's top-ranked teams. We're up to the challenge."

Goalkeeper Tatiana Sanchez made six saves and has been a steady performer defending the PCC goal. Orozco, White, Bianca Mercado, and Heather French kept the Warriors' offense clogged while frequently making clear outs and preventing ECC scoring opportunities.

The Lancers already have matched their entire scoring output of 2010 (28 goals) in just eight matches. Last year, PCC scored 37 goals, a mark that this year's team could pass soon.

Pasadena next hosts East Los Angeles College on Friday, Sept. 28 in a 4 p.m. match at Robinson Stadium.

[Photo--Cassandra Saavedra uses her foot her to drive a ball here, but twice used her head to score a pair of goals in PCC's 5-1 win over El Camino Tuesday, image by Richard Quinton, sports information photographer.]